Tapping-machine.



N. MARSHALL.

TAPPING .MAQHINE. APPLICATION FILED 0011s. 1905.

981,665. Patented Jan. 17,1911.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

.Zwvezvtoar JM MM N. MARSHALL. TAPPING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED 0OT.18. 1905.

981,665., Patented Jan. 17, 1911.

4 sums-S11E31- 2.

N. MARSHALL.

TAPPING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED 001*.18. 1905.

981,665. Patented Jan 17,1911.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

M iii N. MARSHALL.

TAPPING MACHINE.

I I APPLICATION FILED 00T.18. 1905. 981,665, Patented Jan. 17, 1911.

4 BHBETSSHEET 4.

Hal?

lllllllllllllllll NORMAN MARSHALL, OF NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

TAPPING-MAGHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 1'7, 1911".

Application filed October 18', 1905. Serial No. 283,354.

. this class of work may be conveniently and rapidly done with a resultingeconomy in its I production. .In the manufacture of lamp sockets, cutouts, switches and other'electrical devices,

numerous metallic pieces are used which are provided with one or more tapped holes for the reception of binding and'securing screws,

and many-of such pieces are provided with a plurality of tapped holes arranged in line. The machine in which I have embodied the various features of my invention-isdesigned especially for operating upon this class of work, and the features of invention will be explained with reference to this machine. It will be understood however, that this machine maybe utilized for other classes of work and that variousfeatures of the invention may be embodied in machines differing in the specific construction and arrangement of parts from-this machine, and espe'cially.

adaptedfordifferent classes of work-, the

construction and arrangement of the-parts being modified to best suit the conditions under which the features of the invention are to be employed.

' The various features of the invention will be readily understood from the following detailed description of the machine in which I have embodied them and will be set forth in the claims.

. In the drawings Figure 1 is a front elevation of the machine in which I have,embodied the various features of my invention in the form in which I prefer to'use them. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view showing the manner of mounting the slides which carry the spindles. Fig. 3 is a side elevation with the spindle carrying slides removed to more clearlyshow the other parts. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a spindle carrying slide and also showing the work carrying drum in section. Fig. 5 is a'vertical sectional view through the axis of one of the spindles. Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view'showmg the bars.

relative arrangement of the spindles with relation to the path of travel of a work carryin'g jig when four holes arranged in line are to be tapped. Fig. 7 is a detail showing the cam for advancing and retracting a spindie; and Fig. 8 is a detail showing a cam forcontrolling the direction of rotation of a spindle.

In the machine shown in the drawings the pieces of-work are presented in position to be operated upon by the tap carrying spindlesby a series of work carrying jigs. A which are secured upon the periphery of a carrier drum A. These jigs are brought by the movement of the carrier drum successively into position to register with each of the four spindles B B B B with which the machine is provided. These spindles are arranged progressively along the path of travel of the igs and are so mounted that they may be adjusted transversely of the path of the jigs to bring them into position to register with the holes in the pieces of' work which are to be tapped.

By properly adjusting the spindles the machine may be utilized to tap any four holes which are arranged in linev in a piece of work or which occur. in diiferent pieces by the engagement of the bent ends W with the ends of the jigs and by the four pins a arranged to engage opposite sides of the It will be understood however, that jigs may be provided for supporting any desired piece of work and that such jigs may be substituted for the jigs shown. For instance, if the piece of work to be operated 'upon is provided with but one hole four jigs adapted to support such piece of work may be secured to the drum in place of each of the jigs shown, the four. jigs being so arranged that the'four holes to be tapped will be in line longitudinally of the drum. These four jigs may be constructed to supportthe same piece of work or may be of different form and adapted to support pieces of work which differ from each other or diiferent jigs in each series of four may be' In the machine shown the four spindles are arranged progressively along the path of travel of the jigs and'are separated by a.

space equal to the distance between successive jigs in the series. The machine is adapted therefore to tap four holes which are m line. By providing means for adjustlng the spindles in the direction of travel of the jigs as well as transversely of their travel, the machine may be adapted to tap holes which are not in line if it is found desirable to make provision for such operation. 1

The tap carrying spindles arearranged radially of the work carrying drum and are advanced and retracted along radial lines. During the advance-movement of the spindles each spindle is rotated in a direction I to. drive the tap into the work and as the carried by the spindle B into the work by member while rotating tapping is completed the direction of rotation of the spindle is reversed and the spindle retracted to run the ta out of the work.

The tap carrying spind esare carried by foursimilarly constructed slides B B B Bi which are mounted for transverse adjustment upon guideways B formed on opposite sides of two arms B B which proect from the frame' of the machine, the slides B B being mounted upon the opposite sides of the arm'B and the slides B B being mounted upon the opposite sides of the arm B, Fig. 2.

The mechanisms for operating and controlling the spindles and the devices for adjusting and clam ing the slides are substantially the same or each spindle and slide and it will be suflicient to describe in detail the mechanisms for operating the spindle B the slide B The spindle B is rotated through a clutch member Z) connected with the spln'dle by a key and key-way so tha'tthe spindle is free to move longitudinall through the clutch therewith. The clutch memberb is arranged between two clutch members I) b and is' rovided'gwith J. i conical frictional ;clutch sur aces to cooperate with corresponding surfaces upon the clutch members b If. The clutch member b is rotated-in a direction to drive the tap means'of a belt passing over a pulley 12 com nected with the clutch member 6 through the bearing sleeve 6. The bearing sleeve 6* is mounted in a bearing b formed 'on the lower part of the slide B and'fis heldin position' in said bearing by the engagement of the clutch member 6 and pulley b with'the ends of the hearing. The clutch member b is driven in adirection to run the tap carried by the spindle B out of the work by means of a belt pas'singover a pulley 6 connected with the clutch member 6 by a sleeve and the sleeve 6 is mounted in a bearing formed upon the upper part of the slide B The clutch member I) is shifted from one driving clutch member to the other to reverse the direction of rotation of spindle through a shifting lever b pivoted to the slide B and connected with the clutch b by means of pins 6 extending from the lever into an annular grdove in the clutch; The shifting lever is operated at the proper time by means of a cam 6 arranged to operate upon shoe 1) carried by the outer end ofthe lever 6 The shifting lever is held in engagement with the cam by means of springs I) connected to the slide 1?) and to pins 6 projecting from the shifting lever.

The spindle B extends loosely through the pulleys b and b and their connected clutch members and is supported at its upper 'end in a bearing block 6 which is carried by a lever b". Thespindle is held from longitudinal movement .in the bearing block b 'by the'engagement of the collars 12 on the .spindle with the opposite sides of the bearing block b and the bearing block is pivoted in the lever b to accommodate the movement of the spindle as the lever is raised and lowered. The spindle B is advanced and retracted by the action of a cam 6 upon abearing shoe 1) secured to the lever b", the bearing shoe being held in engagement with the cam by a spring I).

The cams I)" and I) for controlling the direction of rotation of the spindle and for advancing and retracting the, spindle are-secured upon a short shaft o which is mounted in the slide B and -this'shaft iscontinuously driven through a gear I).

The gears Z2 through which the cams for f the different spindles are driven are engaged with each other and this train of gears is driven from'a shaft G through a pinion C which engages the gear I) for the spindle B The face of the pinion C and the faces of the gears b are of sufiicient breadth to enable the spindles to be adjusted laterally without disengaging the gears' The shaft C" is'the main driving shaft of the machine and is continuously driven by means of a belt passingover a driving pulley C The operating and controlling cams for the spindles are so timed that during the advance movement of the spindle the clutch his in engagement with the clutch member b and the spindle is rotatedin adirection to drive the tapcarried by the splndle into the work. As the advance movement of the spindle is completed the clutch b 18 quickly shifted into engagement with the clutch member 6 thus reversing the d rection of rotation of the spindle and; during the-re- I upon the bearing ways B.

erator. v

tracting movement .of the spindle it is rotated in a reverse direction to run the tap out of the'work.

In order that the position of the spindle may .be varied transversely of the path of travel of the jigs to bring the spindle into accurate register with the hole which is to be tapped, the slide B isadjustably mounted in its adjusted position upon the ways by means of'a clamping gib cl mounted in the slide and'operated by two clamping bolts cl.

These bolts extendthrough hearings in the slide B and are screw-threaded into the gib d as indicated in Fig. 2. The bolts are provided attheir outerends with arms (1 to which are connected the operating bars d which extend toward the front of the machine and are provided with handles d arranged By operating the bars d the bolts d may be turned to loosen or tighten the gib d and thus release or clamp the slide B to the ways. When the slide B is released it may be adjusted upon the ways by means of an adjusting rod 7', the inner end of which is screw-threaded into the arm B. The rod 7 is provided with two collars f which engage opposite ends of a boss 7' on the bearing 6 which is formed on the lower part of the slide B The rod f is provided at its forwardcnd with an operating handle f arranged within convenient reach of the operator and by which the rod may be turned to adjust the slide B backward or forward upon the ways.

T he belt for driving the pulleys b for the spindles B B* is led around an idle pulley I)? as it passes from one pulley b to the other and this pulley is made'adjustable to take up or let out the belt as the spindles are adjusted laterally. The means for adjust-v ing the pulley 1) consists of a screw-threaded adjusting rod 25 engaging a nut b which is connected to the bearing block 6 upon which the pulley b is mounted. The belt which drives the pulleys b for the spindles B B is led over an adjustable pulley Z9 which is adjusted by means of a screw-threaded rod 7) in a manner similar to the adjustment for the pulley 1). Similar adjustable pulleys I) and I) are pro-- rided for the belts which drive the pulleys b and b? forthe spindles B B The work carrying drum A upon which the work carrying jigs are secured is mounted upon a stud A and is frictionally held in position by means of the spring disk A the hub -of the drum.

arranged to engage The drum is intermittently advanced to bring the jigs successively to the spindles by means of a pawl A arranged to operate upon the teeth .of a ratchet wheel A which is secured to the drum. Thepawl is pivotcd upon a pawl carrying arm A and is The slide is held within convenient reach of the opoperated at proper intervals by means of a cam A arranged to engage a roll A carried by the pawl carrying arm and held in engagement with the cam by means of a spring A. The cam A shaft A which I is continuously driven from the driving shaft C through a vertical shaft A connected with the driving shaft through gears-A and with'the camshaft A through gears A In. the operation of the machine a piece of is secured to the end of a work is presented to each spindle at-each advance movement of the work carrying drum and during the interval between successive advance movements of the drum each spindle is operated and taps a hole in the work. Thus at each operation four holes are tapped and these holes may be in depending from the slide B and is forced yieldingly toward the work by a spring 9 The engagement of the plate g with the.

work is controlled by means of a collar 9 on the spindle B which underlies the arms 9 of a yoke formed on the lever g". When the spindle is in its raised position the collar g acting upon the lever holds the plate g above the path of the work. hen the spindle descends the collar 9* releases the lever 9 so that the spring g forces the plate 9 against the work and holds it firmly upon the jig during the tapping operation and during the running out of the tap until the spindle nearly reaches its retracted position when the collar 9* again engages the lever g thus raising the plate 9 from the surface of the work so that it will not interfere with the advance of the work to the next spindle. By properly adjusting the spindles a plurality of holes may be tapped which are arranged in close proximity to each other, and this class of work as well as the tapping of single holes in pieces of work may be rapidly and economically performed. 1

While I prefer to mount the work carrying jigs upon a carrier drum and to arrange the splndles radially of the drum, as shown in the drawings, this construction and arrangement is not essential to the broader features of my invention, and it will be understood that the work carrying supports will also be understood that the spindles may be differently arranged, the arrangement being modified to suit the particular arrangement of the Work carrying support or supports and the path of travel of such support or supports.

The arrangement of the Work carrying jigs to travel in a vertical plane or in a plane which is approximately vertical is of advantage in that it admits of the jigs being so constructed that; the Work Will free itself from the jigs by its own weight after it has been presented to the spindles and during.

the return of the jigs to the position Where the operator places the work upon the jig. The arrangement of the jigs upon a drum is of further advantage in" that it admits of a compact and convenient arrangement of the spindles and an arrangement of the parts 7 where they are conveniently accessible to the operator.

What I claim and desire to secure by Let'- ters Patent is j 1. In a tapping machine the combination of a Work carrying drum, an arm provided with ways parallel to the axis of the drum, a slide adjustably secured on the Ways, a spindle mounted on the slide with its axis extending radially of the drum, mechanism for operating said spindle, and mechanism on the slide for reciprocating saidspindle.

.spindle mounted on the spindle support,

I spindle mounted on the spindle support, oppositely driven driving members for the g spindle mounted on the spindle support, a clutch for alternately connecting the driving members with the spindle, and mechanism for operating the clutch mounted upon the spindle support.

In Witness whereof, Ihave hereunto set my hand, this 5th day of Qctobe'r 1905.

NORMAN MARSHALL,

In the presence of- IRA. L. FISH, KATHARINE A. D'UGAN.

2. In a tapping machine the combination of a Work carrying drum, an arm provided versely of the path of travel of the work, a

mechanism for advancing and retracting the i 

